News of: Tuesday, 16th of February, 2010

Front Page

The development partners at Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) meeting in the capital yesterday expressed concern over the slowdown of anti-corruption drive and implementation of development projects, and low investment.

The government yesterday decided to rename the establishments named after late president Ziaur Rahman including the Zia International Airport, which is to be named Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the leaders of developed countries to immediately deliver fund pledged particularly for the least developed countries (LDCs) and most vulnerable countries (MVCs) in Copenhagen summit to cope with climate change impacts.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) prepared a list of 54 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its associated organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir for their arrest in connection with the Rajshahi University violence that killed a worker of Bangladesh Chhatra League.

The Bangladeshi government is refusing to accept a £60m donation from Britain to help it cope with the impact of global warming, because of a dispute over how the money will be provided, The Guardian reported yesterday.

The holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi, marking the birth and death anniversary of Prophet Hazrat Mohammed (Pbuh), will be celebrated across the country on February 27 as the moon of Rabiul Awal was sighted yesterday.

Family members of Chittagong University student Mohaiminul Islam yesterday claimed that he is not involved in any political organisation and refuted Islami Chhatra Shibir's assertion that Mohaiminul is their activist.

A team of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) caught two officials of Rural Electrification Board red-handed in Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet while they were taking Tk 70,000 bribe from a businessman yesterday afternoon.

The ranks of cell phone subscribers will swell to five billion people this year thanks to the growth of smartphones in developed nations and mobile services in poor nations, a UN agency said yesterday.

Editorial

THE finance minister has once again spoken about making public statement of wealth of the ministers and members of parliament. This time he has fixed a time for it; we are told that the statement would be released by June this year. We are glad that MPs belonging to other parties will also come under the purview. It is about time too. Here we cannot but take note of the statement made by the recently appointed Chief Justice in his very first day in office suggesting that the judges of the apex court should also submit their wealth statements for the sake of transparency and accountability.

THE law enforcers have launched a drive reportedly to arrest Shibir-Jamaat activists following the brutal killing of a Rajshahi University student by Shibir supporters. The state minister for home has made it known that educational institutions where Shibir-Jamaat has had any links will also be put under the microscope.

THE Daily Star's February 9 report that the SEC cut the ratio of brokerage houses' margin loans to equity ratio from 1:1.5 to 1:1 (henceforth called, margin requirement ration: MRR) has drawn my attention and concern. If I am not mistaken, a 1:1.5 MRR allows margin loan 150 percent of the market value of marginable stocks and 1:1 MRR means 100 percent. In the US, the MRR is 50 percent or 1:0.5.

In the article, printed on Feb 10, titled "No regrets on mass destruction," the author incorrectly states that Michael Walzer is affiliated with Princeton University. In fact, Walzer is Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study. The error is regretted.

Sports

An unbroken 100-run partnership between Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum helped New Zealand stage a comeback on the first day in the one off Test at Seddon Park. The pair combined with the home side struggling at 158 for 5, but batted with assurance till stumps to rescue them from a dodgy position.

Bangladesh will be hoping to keep up the mo-mentum they gained from the South Asian Games when they take on favourites Tajikistan in one of the two opening day matches of the AFC Challenge Cup finals at the Sugahatadasa Stadium in Colombo today.

Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic, along with his two assistants, left Bangladesh yesterday. Earlier, Bangladesh Football Federation parted ways with the successful Serbian coach who had guided Bangladesh to gold in the just concluded South Asian Games.

WAF (we are for football), a newly-formed organisation comprising former national footballers, have decided to host the first-ever beach football tournament in Cox's Bazar from February 26 to 27 in a bid to give country's football a new shape.

Paul Collingwood, England's captain for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, has warned against underestimating his team's opposition, despite their woeful tour of Australia during which they failed to secure a single win.

The Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF) has arranged a 'development fair' for the first time in the country to showcase different activities and technologies of government ministries and development partners.

Close on the heels of acquiring a majority stake in Bangladesh-based Warid Telecom for US$ 300 million, India's largest cellphone operator Bharti Airtel is exploring possibility to buy out Kuwait-based Zain Telecom in the fast growing African markets.

After taking the reins of Banglalink, Ahmed Abou Doma was impressed by a wide dispersion of mobile communications in Bangladesh. As his level of confidence lifted, he feels telecom is becoming a powerful tool to pull Bangladesh into an economic boom in the next few years.

PADMA CEMENTUnaudited quarterly accounts for the first quarter to December 31, 2009 show the company has made net loss of Tk (14.09) million with EPS of Tk (0.51) against Tk (11.20) million and Tk (0.41) respectively for the same period of the previous year. The company's accumulated loss was Tk (312.79) million as of December 31, 2009.

Cash sent home by Filipinos working abroad rose a stronger-than-expected 5.6 percent to 17.3 billion dollars last year as jobs remained plentiful despite the global crisis, the central bank said Monday.

A Dhaka court yesterday directed officers-in-charge (OCs) of Comilla Sadar and Gulshan police stations to submit reports by March 11 on execution of arrest warrant against Ismail Hossain Saimon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain, in a money laundering case.

An estimated 100,000 people are being infected with hepatitis-B and syphilis every year due to unsafe blood transfusion both at public and private levels, according to findings of Bangladesh Health Watch 2009.

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Capt (Retd) Majibur Rahman Fakir yesterday called upon journalists to help promote ant-tobacco campaign across the country through investigative reports, post editorials and photo features.

An alliance of development partners yesterday expressed grave concern over the fate of 2 lakh homeless people affected by the cyclone Aila, saying they may remain homeless for an indefinite period unless the damaged embankments in the coastal districts are repaired by March this year.

Jamaat-e-Islami has resorted to violence and cruelty, as it faces existential crisis in the wake of initiatives to hold trial of war criminals and restore the 1972 constitution, speakers at a discussion said yesterday.

National

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) exchanged the lists of criminals of the bordering areas of the two countries at a sector commander level border coordination meeting in Panchagarh yesterday.

Language movement veterans in Magura have remained unsung and little known, although they played commendable role in the struggle for upholding the dignity of mother language during the turbulent days in early 50s.

One person was killed and 10 others were injured in a clash over a disputed land in Bara Jhenairchar area in Araihazar upazila yesterday morning. Police arrested two persons in this connection. Businessman Liakat of the village had a conflict with his cousins over the boundary of a disputed land. When Liakat went to construct a boundary wall his cousins Bazlul Haque, Alim and Shamsul along with their supporters attacked him. Within moments, two groups locked in a fierce clash using sticks, rods and sharp weapons. Liakat, 52, seriously injured in the attack, died while he was being taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Ten others were injured in the clash. Among them, Ali Hossain, 45, Ibrahim, 42, Bazlul Haque, 38, Halim, 50, Shamsul, 35, Kamal, 32, Yamun, 22, and Ayub, 35, were admitted to upazila health complex.

Stealing of wire has caused blackout in two northern districts. According to Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) officials, thieves took away about 800 metre wire of Joypurhat 33KV power station Sunday midnight plunging Joypurhat and Naogaon districts into darkness. Md Nurul Islam, residential engineer of Joypurhat PDB confirmed the incident adding that they are doing their best to restore the power supply. Till filing of the report yesterday afternoon power connection was not restored.

A court here on Sunday sentenced two people to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for possessing heroin. The convicts are Jesmin Begum, 38, wife of Mostafa Sheikh and Almas Mallik, son of Soleman Mollik of Rono Bijoypur village in Sadar upazila. The court also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year RI more. According to the prosecution, a team of Sadar police in a drive arrested the two along with 50 grams of heroin from their village on May 19, 2007. Later, SI Nurul Huda filed a case against them under Narcotics Control Act.

Failing to get recognition of their love affairs from their parents, a teenage girl killed herself and her fiancé made an abortive bid to commit suicide in Sadar upazila on Valentine's Day on Sunday. Police and locals said, Nargis Akhter, 15, daughter of Syed Ali of Galehapara village in the upazila developed love affair with Nahid, 18, son of Sadem Ali. They wanted to marry each other but their parents refused to accept the relationship. Being disappointed, Nargis killed herself by hanging at her house at noon. Hearing her death news, Nahid took poison at his house in a bid commit suicide at about 8:00pm. Nahid's relatives rushed him to Sadar hospital where he has been fighting for life.

Criminals stole Tk 19.25 lakh in cash and other valuables from the local branch office of Akij Corporation Limited in the district town late Saturday night. Company's regional manager Murad Biswas said, the money earned from selling commodities on Thursday and Saturday, was kept at the office's chest in Sarui area of the town. Thieves broke into the office and took away the money after breaking open the chest late Saturday night, said the official. Police said, three company staff have been detained in this connection for interrogation.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday looking to rally support for tough new UN sanctions against Iran, which she warned is turning into a "military dictatorship" bent on building a nuclear weapon.

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan Monday called for conducting struggles based on the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence even as Congress party legislator from Telangana tried to disrupt his address to the joint session of the state legislature.

The Congress yesterday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the terror attack in Pune by demanding that talks with Pakistan be called off and said such a step would be considered only if there is concrete evidence of the involvement of Pakistani elements.

Five Muslims, including one Bangladeshi origin Australian, who plotted an attack using guns and explosives to protest against Australia's part in the "war on terror" were jailed for up to 28 years yesterday, after the country's longest extremism trial.

Thirteen Yemeni soldiers died when a military helicopter evacuating wounded servicemen amid a fledgling ceasefire with Shia rebels crashed in the northern mountains, the defence ministry said yesterday.

On the opening day of the 60th International Berlinale Film Festival, Germany 's biggest newspaper Bild introduced Shah Rukh Khan the superstar of the festival to its readers -- 10 million everyday. They don't call him "King of Bollywood" for nothing!

A three-day workshop on classical jazz dance, will be held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, starting from today according to a press release. World Dance Alliance Bangladesh will arrange the workshop.

The first day of Spring (Boshonto) was celebrated with a Henna Festival (Mehedi Utshab) in Pabna last Saturday. Path Finder Computer Institute organised the daylong programme. The festival was inaugurated in Pabna Edward College (PEC).

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2010, a single episode TV play "Swapner Bornomala" will be aired on Bangla vision on February 21, at 9:05pm. Written and directed by Kawnine Saurav, the cast of the play includes Amirul Haq Chowdhury, Kayes Chowdhury, Manosh Bandyopadhyay, Maznun Mizan, Mita Nur and Munira Mithu.

Famed singer and lyricist Maqsoodul Haque's collection of 25 poems, titled "The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety" (Rodella Publication), was unveiled at an informal programme at the auditorium of British Council, Dhaka University on February 13, says a press release.

OP-ED

IT is now widely recognised that climate change and its consequences, such as rising sea level, frequent storms and cyclones and riverbank erosion, have taken a serious turn in this nation. Farmers have been losing their cultivable land to erosion and becoming destitute overnight. In the absence of a rehabilitation plan they have no other alternative but to move to cities in search of livelihood. This has resulted in overcrowded cities with ever growing slums and floating population.

THE government recently imposed a ban on raw jute export to ensure availability of raw jute in the local market so that our jute mills can purchase jute easily. This decision was appreciated by The Daily Star through an editorial. It is surprising that The Daily Star has taken a stand against the interest of the intermediate jute traders and the growers, and has supported the efforts of the government to protect the extravagant profit mongering interest of the jute mills owners at the cost of the interest of the vast numbers of jute growers and traders.

SOUTH Asia is the only region of the world that has our unique historical background. People in this region used to share the diversified products among themselves for centuries. Statistics showed that intra-regional trade among the Saarc nations was 19 percent in 1948, soon after the end of British colonial era.

Science & Life

FEBRUARY 21, the Language Martyrs' Day, is observed not only by the Bangalees. It is also recognised worldwide as the International Mother Language Day. Use of language is probably the single most important factor in the extraordinary development of humans as Homo sapiens or 'wise man'. But when did language, notably Bangla, emerge as a separate language? How or do we recognize our mother tongue after birth? What does science say?

Borromean rings, a symbol that first showed up in Afghan Buddhist art from around the second century. The symbol depicts three rings linked together; if any ring were removed, they would all come apart.

On the morning of July 24, 1911, a tall lecturer-cum-explorer from Yale University set off in a cold drizzle to investigate rumors of ancient Inca ruins in Peru. The explorer chopped his way through thick jungle, crawled across a "bridge" of slender logs bound together with vines, and crept through underbrush hiding venomous fer-de-lance pit vipers.

A resident of Russia's far east was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for having chopped down trees necessary for the preservation of the massive Siberian tiger, World Wildlife Fund said Friday.